Washington Township High School head athletic trainer picked for Athletic Trainers Society of New Jersey Hall of Fame
WTHS Head Athletic Trainer Tanya Dargusch (left) poses for a photo with Assistant Athletic Trainer and ATSNJ President-elect Eric Schwartz.
Photo provided by WTPS

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP – Washington Township High School Head Athletic Trainer Tanya Dargusch has received honors before. But Dargusch’s most recent laurel is kind of a coup de grace. WTHS Director of Athletics Kevin Murphy announced that Dargusch has been selected as the newest member of the Athletic Trainers Society of New Jersey (ATSNJ) Hall of Fame. Dargusch, who was nominated by WTHS Assistant Athletic Trainer and ATSNJ President-elect Eric Schwartz, will be inducted at a ceremony on Sunday, February 24, in Florham Park, N.J.

Dargusch has been a member of the ATSNJ since 1987 and once served on the organization’s Executive Board as the Southern Representative. To be inducted to the Hall of Fame, members must conduct outstanding work in the promotion of the athletic training field in the State of New Jersey over an extended period of time. Dargusch is being inducted with colleague Michael Prybicien, the Head Athletic Trainer at Passaic High School.

“What a tremendous honor to be selected by your peers based on your career contributions to your profession,” Murphy said. “We at WTHS are fortunate to have Tanya work with our student-athletes and families on a daily basis. I have always said that she is the best athletic trainer in the state of New Jersey, and now I can refer to her as a Hall of Fame athletic trainer.”

“It is truly an honor to be inducted into this Hall of Fame. It’s the highest honor an athletic trainer can receive in the state of New Jersey,” said Dargusch, just the third female inductee. “The inductee list is an impressive one in the world of athletic training. This all could not be possible without the support of the district and administration. Their encouragement to be involved and strive to become better has been very influential. Kevin may say that I am the best AT in the state, but I can definitely say that I am working at one of the best high schools in the state.”

Dargusch is in her 26th year as the WTHS athletic trainer and was inducted into the New Jersey Scholastic Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2009. Among her other honors and awards are: the Eastern Athletic Trainers Association Henry Schein Scholastic Trainer Award (2008); the National Athletic Trainers Association Athletic Trainer Service Award (2008); and the ATSNJ Victor D. Recine Distinguished Service Award (2007).

In addition, Dargusch has served on committees, performed research and served as a guest speaker and presenter at numerous ATSNJ, EATA and NATA functions during her tenure as an athletic trainer. She cites her role on the Governor’s Task Force on Steroid Use and Prevention – and its role in helping New Jersey become the first state in the nation to require random drug testing – as one of her greatest contributions to the New Jersey athletic training profession. However, it was the 11 years she spent on a government relations committee that eventually led to trainers being able to practice in non-traditional settings that she feels is her greatest contribution.

“Though it took two practice act changes, 11 years, countless meetings and hours, January 13, 2008, became the day I will never forget: the day athletic trainers in New Jersey could practice in any setting,” Dargusch wrote in her Hall of Fame biographical form. “Though that journey was a long and challenging one, the colleagues that were involved in that journey made it all worth it.

“I feel that we are a resource and health care provider who have unique skills that everyone should be able to have access to,” she added. “We can help so many.”

Dargusch’s contributions have not been ignored at WTHS.

“I’m not surprised,” WTHS Principal Joe Bollendorf said when learning of Dargusch’s latest Hall of Fame honor. “Our students and our community have been blessed with Tanya’s expertise and caring for many years. This recognition is well deserved.”

Dargusch’s induction is part of the 27th annual ATSNJ Conference and Meeting at the Hamilton Park Hotel and Conference Center in Florham Park. In addition to the awards banquet on February 24, the conference includes educational seminars, committee meetings and other workshops.